


Time and Punishment

by Sincerely_Sierra



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: Age-Regression, F/F, Family Feels, Humor, Motherly Cordelia, Spells Gone Wrong, Tempus Infinituum, baby Madison and Mallory, time reversal, time traveling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23339200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sincerely_Sierra/pseuds/Sincerely_Sierra
Summary: Something goes wrong when Mallory tries to reverse time and prevent the third antichrist. She somehow takes herself and Madison into babyhood—and brings them back to the present.
Relationships: Zoe Benson/Madison Montgomery
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	Time and Punishment

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you are all doing fine in this dark time. I’m currently an essential employee and am still working to deliver supplies to those who cannot leave their homes. I’m starting to feel unwell, but I wish all the best for you. Here’s some family feels for you to take your mind off it.
> 
> —Sincerely, Sierra

Mallory and Madison were never great friends, or great frenemies. So the curly-headed brunette ventured down into the retail department of hell and scooped screeching Madison up off the tiled floor, so what? Did that one delayed favor really constitute Madison becoming Mallory’s wingwoman for life?

Cordelia was always adamant about everyone getting along. They did not have to like each other, but they had to love each other. Whatever that meant. That confused both Madison and Mallory, because how were they supposed to love each other when they barely crossed the threshold into liking each other? It hardly made sense. 

And besides, Madison did not ask Mallory to drag her up from hell. In fact, by the time Mallory had decided it was time to take a stroll to hell and collect the screaming girl, Madison had already gotten used to the monotone customers. Perhaps being in hell would be more of an enjoyable experience than curling up in the tub and drowning in her own tears. 

It was only when the third antichrist was on the mend that Mallory asked for help from her wingwoman. Mallory otherwise avoided Madison at all costs, in fear of her wicked mood swings that were angrier than a starving baby, but Madison was the only witch whom Mallory could trust with the life of anything unholy. 

“We’re not going through this shit again,” Madison whined. 

“But I need your help,” Mallory said. “You are the only one who remembers the timelines. You’re all I got right now.” 

“If this little bastard keeps reappearing, you must suck at reversing time,” Madison sneered as she filed down her nails. “How are you going to stop this one?”

“I killed Michael. I stopped Emily and Timothy from ever meeting. I have to go back and stop this one’s mother from going to a bar.”

“You’re kidding. That’s your big plan?” Madison snorted. “Instead of doing something badass, like decapitating him, you decide to just go back all the way and stop a woman from having a good time and sleeping with some jackass? You really are boring.” 

Mallory rolled her eyes. Madison didn’t have complete knowledge on how Tempus Infinituum worked, but now was not the right time for a history lesson. Leo was on the rise and out to destroy the coven and all Cordelia had built. Cordelia had already began feeling weary and tired so suddenly, and Mallory knew she had to act fast before he crippled her beyond repair. 

“Madison, you need to pay more attention,” Mallory said as she began lighting candles around the large bathroom. “You’ll never become your strongest version if you never pay attention to anything.” 

“I’m not a time traveler. I’m just a witch.”

Mallory’s eyes flickered like the flames. “There’s no such thing as just a witch.”

“Whatever,” Madison sighed as she hopped onto the counter. “Are you sure you can do this on your own? Don’t you need, like, Cordelia or something?” 

“Not really. I’m capable of doing it by myself.” Mallory paused as she climbed into the tub of water and Madison dimmed the lights. “I’ve never done it with an audience other than Cordelia and Myrtle. I’m not sure if it’s safe for you.”

Madison was aware that was her hint to get the hell out of dodge, but she did not care to leave. She dangled her feet and drummed her fingers on the granite. 

Mallory settled into the warm water and leaned back against the smooth porcelain, closing her eyes. 

“Madison.” 

“I’m not going anywhere, so just shut up,” Madison said, wafting the fumes of the scented candle next to her. “It smells like a Bath and Body Works in here.” 

“Be quiet, or I’ll make you leave,” Mallory forewarned, cracking one eye open.

Madison said nothing and remained still as Mallory visibly relaxed into the water that consumed her. The blonde observed Mallory’s hand clutching something against her chest as she mouthed words Madison didn’t understand. The water began to bubble as if it were boiling, and suddenly, Mallory, with a deep intake of breath, forced herself under. 

Madison gasped in horror when the bubbling continued but Mallory did not surface after a minute. She quickly jumped off the counter and kneeled next to the bathtub. The room was dark and the water murky, and she could not find Mallory under there. 

Taking it upon herself, Madison reached a careful hand into the water and searched about. She grabbed hold of something—Mallory’s hand—and tried pulling, but the only thing that came loose was whatever Mallory had been grasping for dear life. It drowned in the water, free of Mallory’s grip, and that seemed to have broken the spell. 

Within a second, Mallory popped out of the water screaming and clawing at herself, desperately searching about. The flames around them began to flicker until they were snuffed out completely, and the two were submerged in a darkness, not one only caused by lack of light, but one caused by lack of life. 

+++

When Cordelia awoke from her nap, she was able to sit up without assistance. Her abdomen wasn’t aching anymore. How strange, considering she felt like she was on fire when she had fallen asleep with a book earlier. 

Misty entered with a silver tray holding two mugs and a small teapot. She smiled sheepishly at the ailing supreme and sat next to her. 

“How you feeling?” Misty asked. “Are you alright?” 

“I. . .actually don’t feel too bad,” Cordelia said, almost confused. “Did you bring me tea?” 

Misty nodded and poured the herbal tea into the mug, carefully sliding it into Cordelia’s hands. Cordelia thanked her with a smile and took a sip, although she felt something was not right with the atmosphere. She wasn’t in any pain, and she felt rejuvenated. 

“I’m sorry you’re feeling so poorly, Delia,” Misty murmured with a frown. “I wish there was something I could do. . .But that’s more of Mallory’s department.”

Mallory was Cordelia’s gift. The young lady had such a way with magic that no threat could ever beat. Not even the antichrist.

“You’re helping me just fine, Misty,” Cordelia assured. “You’ve all done all you can to help me out.”

Misty didn’t want to be defeated in front of Cordelia; it would just cause her pain and guilt. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Misty perked up and began to tell Cordelia about her new garden in the backyard where she was growing tomatoes and carrots. 

“They’re already growing!” Misty said excitedly. “We’re gonna have fresh food to eat.”

“That’s great, Mist. I can’t wait to see it,” Cordelia said. 

A knock on the door interrupted the moment, and Cordelia shifted around to see Queenie and Zoe standing in the doorway, ashen and pale as if they’d just witnessed a murder. Cordelia’s chest tightened. Had Leo come for them? 

“Girls? What’s the matter?”

“There’s been. . .a situation,” Zoe stuttered out, covering her face with her hands. “Queenie, tell her. I can’t.”

“Well, you left Mallory and Madison alone, and knowing those two are practically Dumb and Dumber when they’re together, I think they did something they shouldn’t have,” Queenie explained. 

“Get to the point, you are about to send me into shock,” Cordelia demanded. 

“Mallory and Madison went to begin Tempus Infinitum, right? Well, it seems someone fucked it up and. . .when we went into the bathroom, we didn’t find them. We found two babies instead.”

Cordelia couldn’t feel her fingers. Or her toes. Or her heart, for that matter. 

“What do you mean, babies?” Cordelia seethed. “You mean, Mallory screwed up the spell and turned both herself and Madison into babies? Like, little babies? That can’t be!”

“They can crawl and stand up, barely, but they can. I’d say they’re about 10 or 11 months old right now,” Zoe groaned. “My girlfriend is an infant!” 

“With the way she’s always on your tits, I don’t see a difference,” Queenie laughed. 

Despite the joke, Cordelia found none of this funny or amusing. Misty seemed like a deer caught in headlights; Madison and Mallory were babies! How would they fix that? More importantly, how would they take care of them in the meantime? 

“Where are they?” Cordelia stood up with ease, charging towards the door. “Take me to them.” 

“We locked them in my room,” Queenie said. “I made sure to pick all the little things up off the floor. They’re completely fine.”

Charging past Queenie and Zoe, Cordelia pulled her strength together and ran down the hall. She nearly skidded right past Queenie’s door, and she threw the door open. Misty appeared over her shoulder like magic, followed by Queenie and Zoe. 

“Where did you put them?” Cordelia demanded at Zoe. 

“I—Queenie? Where did we put them?” Zoe asked. 

Cordelia’s heart palpitated when she heard a tiny shriek from the other side of the room. Two little hands crawled across the floor, and a chubby baby wearing only a diaper made her way towards Cordelia’s feet. 

“Oh, my god, it’s real,” Cordelia gasped, kneeling down to wrap her arms around the baby. She picked her up and held her on her hip, brushing the golden curls from her face. “Jesus. Where’s the other one?”

Zoe searched around the room and under the beds, finding nothing. The door to the bathroom was open, and she became tense as she went inside. She found the second baby—whomever it was—holding onto the toilet as she stood on bare feet and looked at the toilet water. 

“Oh, no you don’t,” Zoe mumbled as she swooped in and snatched the baby up. She carried the squirming child back to Cordelia, who was now balancing the baby she’d found on her hip and rubbing her temple with her free hand. “I got her.”

“Now who is who?” Misty asked. “They look alike.”

“Well, yeah, Madison’s a natural brunette,” Zoe claimed. The baby she was holding seemed to scowl at that. “There’s only one way to find out who’s Madison.”

Zoe flipped the baby belly-down in one arm and tugged at the diaper from behind. She took a gander at the little butt cheeks and nodded once.

“This is Madison,” Zoe stated. “The birthmark.”

“So that means this little one is Mallory,” Misty cooed at the grumpy child in Cordelia’s arm. “Aren’t ya, hm? That would explain the curls.”

“They’re cute and all, but what the hell are we gonna do with them?” Queenie asked. “I hate to get rational here, but we can’t have these two like this forever.”

“I’ll figure something out,” Cordelia sighed. “In the meantime, it’s business as usual. I’ll find someone to take care of them. Or god forbid I have to do it myself.”

Queenie’s nose wrinkled, and she looked towards Zoe, who seemed to be quite bothered by a stench emitting from a certain someone. 

“Madison stinks.” Zoe held Madison away from herself. “What wants to change her?”

“You touched her last,” Queenie said, immediately hurrying out of the room. 

“I have to get Mallory situated,” Cordelia insisted as she carried Mallory past Zoe. 

“And my plants need me.” Misty snapped her fingers and vanished.

Zoe sighed to herself and looked down at Madison, who was now becoming aggravated in her own waste. “What the hell did you do?”

Madison smacked Zoe across the face and giggled.

+++

Zoe and Coco were left on babysitting duty while Cordelia went out to gather some baby supplies to sustain the two infants while she cane up with a plan. Coco seemed distraught by Mallory becoming infantile, but she wasn’t all too sad when Mallory happily bounced in her lap and rested her little head on her chest.

Madison was crawling around the living room floor, keeping herself entertained by anything she could find, while Coco held Mallory. It had been at least an hour since Cordelia had gone out for diapers and baby food—and some clothes to cover the naked bellies of the babies. 

“I think they’re hungry,” Coco told Zoe. 

Zoe looked at baby Madison, who was now chewing on her fingers. Mallory was becoming hostile and whiny, clawing at Coco’s arms and making a sucking motion with her mouth. 

“What do we feed them?” Zoe asked as she scooped Madison off the floor. She pried a dust bunny from her slobbery hands. 

“I have no idea, but my tits are dry.”

Rolling her eyes, Zoe went to the kitchen, closely trailed by Coco and Mallory. The pantry was sparse for food to fit a baby’s needs. The only thing appropriate to feed them was applesauce. 

With a chunk of her hair in Mallory’s stubby fingers, Coco asked, “So who holds them down and who force feeds them?”

“One at a time,” Zoe suggested. Wriggly little Madison was slipping off her hip. “Who seems the most hungry?”

The answer came quickly when Mallory tipped her head back and wailed. Her chubby face was bleary with hunger tears and snot. 

Zoe placed Madison on the floor near the kitchen table, offering her a wooden spoon and a plastic bowl. She sat in a chair as Coco settled a sobbing Mallory in her lap. Curiously, Madison tapped the bowl with the spoon while Zoe popped the top on the applesauce.

“I’ll hold, you feed,” Zoe said to Coco. 

Using the tiniest spoon in the entire house, Coco began to spoon feed Mallory the mush. Mallory warranted the first spoonful with ease, but when the second was offered, she turned her head and squealed. 

“Mallory,” Coco firmly said. “Eat it.”

Mallory grunted and smacked the spoon away, sending the applesauce directly into Coco’s face. 

“You little shit.” Coco grabbed a napkin and wiped her face. “Ugh, she ruined my makeup!”

Bemused by the baby’s behavior, Zoe took the initiative of attempting to feed her. Mallory reacted the same way with Zoe, twisting her head and whining. 

“Open up. Look, here comes the airplane!” Zoe announced, making a strange noise with her mouth. 

Mallory’s lip trembled and her eyes became wide and wet with tears. She began to cry again, after only just calming down. Zoe and Coco tried to soothe her by baby-talking and tickling her, which only caused more upset and screaming. 

“She’s not having it,” Zoe sighed. She glanced over to where Madison had been playing, only to find the abandoned bowl and spoon. “Fuck. Where’s Madison?”

Coco picked wailing Mallory up and bounced her as Zoe searched around the kitchen. She could not find a single trace of baby Madison anywhere. It seemed as though she completely disappeared. 

“Great. We lost her,” Zoe said.

“We?” Coco asked, patting Mallory’s back. “You put her there. You know they never stay still.”

“What are we going to do?” Zoe cried, her head in her hands. “We have to find her before Cordelia comes back.”

They didn’t have much time, then. Having nowhere secure to put Mallory while they searched, Coco carried her the entire time she and Zoe tore the house apart. Mallory slowly calmed and her tears slowed. Upon inspecting the living room, the witches were halted by Cordelia walking in with four grocery bags. 

“Christ, Wal-Mart was awful,” Cordelia groaned. “The people, the lines, everything was terrible.”

Zoe began stammering. What was she to say now? 

“Were the babies okay?” Cordelia asked as she placed the bags on the ground. “I got diapers, wipes, and formula. They can eat what we have. They’re old enough.”

Coco silently walked backwards into the next room, leaving Zoe stranded and stuttering. Cordelia removed her sunglasses and raised an eyebrow at Zoe.

“I can’t find Madison,” Zoe admitted. “We were feeding Mallory, and I had put Madison on the floor, but when I looked back, she was gone.”

The vein in Cordelia’s forehead throbbed. She inhaled sharply and exhaled deeply, willing her heartbeat to calm down. 

“Have you looked everywhere?” Cordelia questioned.

“On the bottom floor, yes. Not upstairs because she can’t get up there on her own.”

Cordelia glanced at the staircase. “She can crawl, no?”

Zoe’s heart felt as though it would erupt from her chest.She quickly made a beeline for the stairs when she noticed a trail of drool leading around the stairs rather than up. Breathing a sigh of complete relief, she followed the trail, until it led her directly to chubby Madison.

“I got her!” Zoe announced to Cordelia as she picked Madison up. The baby was sucking on a stale Cheeto. “Ew. No, Madison. We need to get you some real food.” 

Cordelia came around and immediately took Madison from Zoe. Zoe toed at the floor with her foot, avoiding her supreme’s burning stare. 

“This could’ve ended badly,” said Cordelia. “I’ll take it from here. I will just have to be the primary caregiver until I can figure something out.” 

“What are you gonna do? Where will they sleep? What about classes? How do we tell everyone else about them? We look like a bunch of idiots!” Zoe was tearful and anxious; what if Madison never returned to the present?

“Zoe, calm down. We did nothing wrong,” Cordelia stated. “We will fix this. In the meantime, I think the babies need to eat and have a nap. Madison’s getting a little cranky.”

Madison had dropped the Cheeto and was now fussing and whimpering. She threw her head in Cordelia’s shoulder and used her little hands to coil Cordelia’s long hair. 

“I’m going to make two bottles and put them to bed,” Cordelia told Zoe. “For now, I want you to watch them while they sleep in case they move. I’ll have to find a proper sleeping arrangement.” 

“Are you serious?” Zoe asked. “I have papers to grade.”

“Then you’ll have plenty of time while they nap.” Cordelia’s voice lowered when she noticed Madison going down without a fight. “We just have to accept this as is.” 

Cordelia took sleepy Madison and ventured off to find Coco and grab Mallory as well. She didn’t know how she would make two bottles while holding two infants, but she would surely try.

+++

Characterization seemed to reverse the same way time did. Mallory was much fussier and difficult to please while Madison was always happy with something to do. 

When the babies woke from their nap, they were both soiled and screaming on Zoe’s bed. Zoe, having been sitting there for over an hour in the dim room with only her phone to see the papers in her lap, sighed heavily and picked up Mallory first. Her nose scrunched. 

“Christ. You smell so bad.” 

Cordelia quickly entered, panicky, and her face became red when she noticed how Zoe was handling poor Mallory. 

“Zoe! Hold her right!” Cordelia scolded, reaching out to take the child. “Oh. She needs a change.”

“They both do,” Zoe said, pointing to Madison’s wet diaper. She gathered her papers and began leaving. “I’m going downstairs to finish grading.” 

“Fine.” 

With Mallory on one hip, Cordelia scooped Madison up and sat her on the other. It was uncomfortable for all three, especially with the stench coming from Mallory. 

“Let’s see how my diaper-changing skills favor,” Cordelia told the whiny babies, carrying them to her bedroom where their supplies were. 

She laid Mallory down on the bed first, with Madison sitting on her pillows as a spectator. She dared to open the diaper without holding her breath, and she retched. 

“What crawled in you and died?” Cordelia asked Mallory, who was now reduced to whimpering. 

Mallory wriggled like a fish out of water while Cordelia wiped her clean and disposed of the soiled diaper. Getting the fresh diaper on proved to be challenging, as Mallory despised staying still. 

“I got it,” Cordelia said in triumph, finally getting the diaper situated. “There. All clean.”

Mallory rolled onto her belly, and the diaper fell off, exposing her bottom. Cordelia frowned and tried her hardest to make the diaper stay in place, but it continued to fall. 

Cordelia could not believe her terrible luck. Did she never learn to change a diaper? 

She was scolding herself for being such an idiot, when Misty entered. 

“Are they awake?” Misty asked. “I wanted to play with them. I never had any siblings. Mama always said I was enough.” 

“They’re awake, but I can’t get this stupid diaper to stay on.” 

Misty took the diaper in question and inspected it. Without saying a word, she slid it under Mallory and pulled the tape tabs on either side, securing it around her bottom. When Mallory sat up, it did not fall off. 

Red from embarrassment, Cordelia hung her head. “Oh.”

“Don’t feel so bad, Delia,” Misty said as she picked up Mallory. “Think ‘bout it; you’ve kinda been thrown into motherhood without time to prepare. Queenie and I are trying hard to find a way to get them back to the present, but it’s getting real difficult.” 

“What am I going to do with them?” Cordelia asked. “This could take days. I have a coven to take care of; I can’t spend all day looking after two babies.” 

“That’s why we are all gonna help,” Misty said comfortingly. “I’ll take them and go play with them while you get your work done. Queenie is still finding a way to fix this. We’re all in this together.”

“Right,” Cordelia sighed. “Let me change Madison, and you can play with them.” 

Cordelia found herself much better at changing Madison than she did Mallory, thanks to Misty’s teaching. She handed Madison off to Misty, and the baby began tugging the long blonde locks that fell at Misty’s shoulders. 

“Ouch,” Misty hissed. “You’re just a little pain in the behind. Yes, you are.” 

Both babies giggled as Misty carried them away, and Cordelia disposed of the diapers and washed her hands. Though soothed by Misty’s comfort, she was still unsure of what the future held for the coven, and that made her head ache more. 

Queenie came to Cordelia as the latter was preparing to go into her office. The voodoo witch was clutching a book of spells.

“Did you find something?” Cordelia hopefully asked. 

“Nope. I just came to tell you that this is going to be harder than I thought,” Queenie said. “No pressure, though.”

+++

The high chair Zoe discovered in the attic was dusty and creaky, having been created from solid wood decades ago, but it did its job well. Madison was trapped there, while Misty played a game of peekaboo with her. Cordelia was preparing dinner while Queenie reluctantly held Mallory. 

“Peekaboo,” Misty cooed at Madison, hands covering her eyes. Madison blinked as Misty revealed her face. “I see you!” 

“Yeah, she’s getting bored,” Queenie said. “And this one’s getting on my nerves.” 

Misty ignored Queenie and continued to play with Madison. 

“Peekaboo. I see you!” 

When Misty uncovered her face, Madison clocked her in the forehead with a plastic rattle. 

“Ow! Jesus!” Misty cradled her head and looked towards Cordelia. “She hit me!”

“If she didn’t, I would have,” Queenie drawled as she bounced Mallory. “Seriously, can someone get this child?”

Coco came to her aid and picked Mallory up. Mallory had been whiny all evening and didn’t seem to be letting up. 

“She’s always mad,” Coco said as she swayed. “Is she sick?” 

Cordelia felt Mallory’s head and back. She did not feel warmer than Madison. She seemed to be perfectly healthy, despite being constantly grumpy. 

It was only when Mallory began chewing her fingers that Cordelia took a look inside her little mouth, to find two fresh molars erupting from her gums. She flinched on her behalf.

“She’s teething,” Cordelia said to the witches. “I don’t have any teething rings.”

Mallory began to wail, which caused Madison to stop beating on Misty and cry, too. 

Zoe looked inside the freezer and presented a frozen fish stick. She placed it inside Mallory’s mouth, which quickly silenced her as she held it and drooled over it like a dog with a chew toy. 

“Zoe, that’s not good for her,” Cordelia said. 

“It worked, didn’t it?” 

It did work, but it was so unconventional and unsafe. However, Cordelia did not press the issue now that Mallory was quiet. 

With all the attention on Mallory, Madison felt deprived and starved. When the fuss over the curly-haired baby died down, they turned to Madison, only to find that she’d manage to remove her own diaper and throw it on the table. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” Cordelia groaned. 

Misty, nursing her bruised forehead with an ice pack, said, “Welcome to motherhood.”

+++

Being the happy baby of the pair meant Madison got to take a trip back to Wal-Mart with Cordelia while Zoe and Queenie tried to take care of Mallory at home. Not having a car seat, Cordelia decided it was best to walk to Wal-Mart, which was not very far from the house. 

Cordelia had no idea how germaphobic she could be until she found herself sanitizing the entire cart before placing Madison in the baby seat. 

“Don’t touch anything,” Cordelia told Madison as she strolled into the baby aisle. “I can’t believe you two already ran out of diapers.”

Cordelia was utterly exhausted. Neither baby had slept much the night before, being their first night as babies, and constantly woke in the middle of the night to cry and be held. Zoe had tried to alleviate the stress, but both Mallory and Madison had favored Cordelia over her and would only calm down if Cordelia was near. 

It wasn’t fair. 

Cordelia grabbed a case of diapers rather than the small pack she’d chosen yesterday, and moved along to pick up another can of formula, just in case this lasted awhile. While she was browsing the different brands—and staggering prices—a woman approached their cart and smiled at Madison. 

“What a darling baby,” the woman said. She was older than Cordelia and had no shame in touching Madison’s hands without permission. “Is she yours?”

Cordelia didn’t know the answer to that question. Was she supposed to have a separate persona in the public eye?

“Yes,” Cordelia responded, pulling the cart towards herself. 

“How old is she?” the woman questioned, still touching Madison.

Cordelia felt ill. “11 months.”

“Is she walking yet?” 

“No. She tries,” Cordelia said. 

“Both my boys walked at 10 months.”

_Good for them_ , Cordelia thought bitterly to herself. 

The woman proceeded to ask a few more annoying and quite invasive questions—like how long Cordelia had breastfed her, to which Cordelia fibbed and said she’d only just stopped—before Cordelia began pushing the cart away. 

Cordelia was frazzled when she finally moved far away enough from the woman to breathe, making sure to snatch a can of formula on her way out. Madison rubbed her eyes and yawned. 

“I know,” Cordelia sighed. “It’s nap time, little one. I feel it, too.”

Madison remained still and quiet for the remainder of the shopping trip, until Cordelia decided she might as well get some spaghetti sauce while she was already out. At that point, Madison was becoming agitated and moody, and when Cordelia turned her back to grab her ringing cellphone, Madison pulled a glass jar of pasta sauce off the shelf and sent it crashing to the floor—and all over Cordelia’s white shirt. 

A nearby employee stocking the shelves rolled his eyes at ashamed Cordelia and giggly Madison. 

“Cleanup in aisle six!” 

+++

By the evening, Cordelia was covered head to toe in drool, spit up, and questionable stains. She had Mallory on one hip and Madison on the other as she tried to soothe the both of them for a nap, which was now two hours overdue.

“Please, go to sleep,” Cordelia begged the babes. “I’m tired, and I have work to do and lunch to make.” 

Zoe had made a bed of blankets on the floor of Cordelia’s bedroom for the babies to sleep without falling off a bed. It worked for the meantime, but Cordelia feared them crawling off to their own devices when they awoke. 

Mallory was considerably sleepy, while Madison was doing anything in her power to stay awake. Eventually, Cordelia gave into her own exhaustion and placed them on the bed of blankets. Mallory did not move an inch, but Madison screamed as soon as she lost contact with Cordelia. 

“Shh, hey,” Cordelia cooed, rubbing Madison’s belly. “I’m right here.”

With fat tears in her eyes, Madison pouted at Cordelia and grabbed her finger in her tiny hand. Cordelia could not bear to move from the spot while Madison was grasping her for dear life. 

It was only when Madison began to doze off next to sleeping Mallory that Cordelia wiggled her finger from the child’s vice, and she stood up, hoping Madison would remain sleepy. However, Madison’s eyes immediately opened. Rather than crying, she reached her arms up at Cordelia and squealed. 

“Oh, fine. I’ll hold you.” 

Cordelia lifted Madison up and cradled her to her chest. She carried her out of the room, grabbing a baby blanket on the way. She covered Madison with the blanket and sat down at her desk, still holding her as if she were a newborn placed on her chest after birth. 

“Why must you be so endearing?” Cordelia asked Madison, who sucked her thumb and stared at the supreme under those long lashes. “Don’t look at me like that.”

It took a few minutes of rocking and humming, but Madison finally fell asleep against Cordelia. Cordelia did not move a single muscle, fearing waking the baby and starting at square one again.

There was a knock at the door. Misty poked her head in and asked if it was a bad time. Cordelia silently shook her head and nodded towards the sleeping baby in her arms. 

“I think we may have found a fix,” Misty whispered.

“Where?” Cordelia asked. 

“Zoe was reading some old books. Things we don’t even teach the students. It’s kinda dangerous, but if you really want them back to normal, we can try it,” Misty said. 

An unfamiliar feeling tugged at Cordelia’s chest. She’d been a mother for all of two days and was quite exhausted with having two little ones, but moments like these—watching a baby sleep—were too winsome for her.

“Nothing is more dangerous than Tempus Infinituum,” Cordelia replied. “What Mallory did could have killed both her and Madison when she allowed her to be present. I’ll need to have a little chat with Miss Time Travel when we bring her back to the present.”

“So you wanna bring them back? You wanna try?” Misty reiterated. 

“I have no other choice,” Cordelia said. “Babies are expensive and a lot of work. And Zoe needs her girlfriend back. I want this coven back to normal.”

“I’ll tell Zoe. We can try it tomorrow when we have all we need to do it.”

Cordelia nodded her agreement, and Misty left the room, quietly shutting the door. Looking down at Madison, Cordelia kissed her little hand and rocked her again.

+++

The coven was having a movie night. The girls were watching a particularly gruesome movie under the advisory of Zoe and Queenie, who were eating popcorn in the corner of the room. Cordelia and Misty were busy with the babies in the den, keeping them from disturbing the movie before their bedtime. 

“Mallory, leave Madison’s toys alone,” Cordelia said as she read over the spell book Zoe had given her. 

Mallory had been rather greedy all evening. She would not allow Madison to play with any of the toys Cordelia had given them to entertain themselves with. 

“Delia, she’s pulling Madison’s hair,” Misty said. 

“Mallory. I said stop it.”

It was common to forget that they were only infants. Cordelia always found herself scolding them as she would when they were adults. 

Madison cried when Mallory pulled her hair again, and she smacked Mallory’s cheek, which caused Mallory to scream. Cordelia sighed and prepared to get up to break it up, but Madison picked herself up off the floor and stood on wobbly legs. 

“Is she gonna walk?” Misty whispered to herself. 

The two women held their breath as Madison took two single steps away from Mallory, all on her own, without support. She took a third, then a fourth. At that point, Mallory became jealous, and crawled towards walking Madison before pushing her down. 

“Mallory!” Misty scolded. “Bad baby!”

Tears welled up in Madison’s eyes and her lip trembled. Cordelia did not once fuss over her. Instead, she held out her hands and smiled. 

“Come on,” Cordelia encouraged. “You had it. Come on.”

Madison pushed herself up again. This time, she was stronger on her feet, and her first few steps were sturdy and sure. She reached Cordelia on the sixth step and landed in her lap. 

“Good girl,” Cordelia cooed, rubbing Madison’s head. 

Mallory did not appreciate being left out, and she exhibited this emotion by whining. Misty picked her up and carried her to Cordelia, who sat the baby in her lap and provided both children with attention. 

“I’m going to miss this when they come back to the present,” Cordelia whispered. 

Misty rested a comforting hand on Cordelia’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. 

“Well, you can always hope they screw up again,” Misty assured. 

Cordelia chuckled and kissed Mallory’s head.

“With these two? I’m certain of it.” 

Misty smiled. 

“I looked over the spell,” Cordelia admitted. “I think it will work. We’ll just have to see tomorrow. Now, I’m going to put these two to bed and get some much needed rest myself. You’re welcome to help if you like.”

Picking up Madison, Misty said, “I’d love to.”

+++

Day broke. On the bed of blankets laid long, lithe Mallory and blonde Madison, reverted to their adult forms. Mallory was the first to react to the sunlight, opening her eyes as she groaned. Her head pounded as if she were hungover. 

In the corner of the room were Cordelia, Misty, Zoe, and Queenie. Each of them seemed so exhausted and drained of energy; even Zoe’s hair was an absolute mess as if she had tried to rip it out. They were wide awake, though, but did not seem surprised upon Mallory’s awakening.

“Jesus,” Mallory groaned, rolling over on her back. “Turn off the sun.”

At that point, Madison woke, too. She rolled over, into Mallory’s side, and pushed her. 

“Stop pushing me,” Mallory snapped, wincing at the light. 

“Oh, fuck off, bitch,” Madison spat back. “You started this shit.” 

“I don’t even know what happened,” Mallory said. “What did happen?”

“I don’t fucking know, all I know is I hate you with a burning passion because whatever happened was clearly your fault.” 

In the morning sunlight, the two fought and bickered, despite being unaware they were laying in a makeshift bed made for a child and the council was watching with delight in their glazed eyes.

Though Cordelia longed for the remnants of the babies she’d mothered for two days, she couldn’t help but smile watching the two adult witches argue. 

Misty nudged Cordelia and whispered, “I prefer them this way.” 

Cordelia smiled tiredly. “I do, too.”


End file.
